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In an attempt to recoup more than $80,000 spent defending Southside Independent School District in federal court against former employee and current board member Alma Guzman, her fellow trustees have decided to sue.

Board president Lisa Salazar noted the district will have to spend more money defending against Guzman's appeal of last month's rejection of her suit by a federal judge here.

“I don't think we're trying to set a precedent,” Salazar said. “You know, we have an obligation to our taxpayers, we have an obligation to our kids to do our due diligence in terms of what's right for our district.”

Guzman pointed out that the school would be spending additional taxpayer money — her taxpayer money — to sue her. Her name is listed as Guzman-Estrada in federal documents.

The motion approved by trustees called for pursuit of legal costs “given the fact that the district prevailed on almost the entire case on summary judgment and then prevailed on the single remaining issue after a one-day trial.”

Guzman, a 30-year employee at Southside ISD, was fired in 2010 after she formally complained she was being paid less but doing the same work as male colleagues.

U.S. District Judge Harry Lee Hudspeth threw out the gender discrimination claim and a December trial focused solely on whether Guzman was fired in retaliation for filing grievances about it.